Abraham on factory Ducatis’ tail in Australia

Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham put in yet another strong performance at the AirAsia Australian Grand Prix last weekend, dicing with the factory Ducati pair and finishing in ninth.

After having battled for much of its duration in a group with Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, both riding more advanced factory machines, Abraham crossed the line in ninth, rounding out a successful weekend for the Czech youngster. Abraham had a difficult start to the season that was plagued with crashes and injuries, but has finished the last four races, with three of those in the top 10. Him and his team will be hoping for a strong finish in Valencia, before the outfit switches to ART machinery for 2013.

Karel Abraham

“I’m really happy about the race. We finished in the Top 10 yet again – which also means a fair amount of points. On the other hand, I also have to feel a bit frustrated, because it could have worked out a lot better. I had a great start and even got in front of Nicky Hayden, after which I managed to hold my position in the group between Valentino and Hayden. I felt really sure of the bike for the first time in ages, and even thought I could overtake Valentino. But from about the twelfth lap the bike started to play up, Nicky passed me, and both of them started to pull away. Whilst that was a bit of a shame, we can still regard the race as being a really good result.”